“Hi, Angie. It’s been so long—I missed you!”
“I missed you too, Georgina! I missed you soooo much!”
The moment they saw each other, the two threw themselves into a warm hug, then giddily grabbed each other’s hands and spun around in place. After a few circles, Georgina hugged Angela tightly again, her face quickly clouding over as she gently caressed the child’s cheek.
“Angie, you look like you’ve lost weight. Have you been having a hard time?”
“No, I’m okay now.”
Angela shook her head with a beaming smile.
“We can talk in more detail over tea, Lady Georgina. I’ve prepared some refreshments.”
Imitating an old-fashioned, noble tone, the girl prompted Georgina to instantly switch gears and play along.
“Oh my, Your Highness. What an honor this is. I would be delighted.”
Georgina followed with a bright smile, watching the girl daintily lift the hem of her dress, which reached her knees, and walk with graceful steps.
***
Seated at the tea table by the window where the sunlight poured in, Georgina couldn’t stop smiling as she gazed at the child sitting across from her. It was a completely different atmosphere from her last visit. The difference between a room with and without its rightful occupant was night and day. Angela brought a teacup filled not with tea but juice to her lips, then lowered it and spoke, noticing how Georgina kept smiling without saying a word.
“Is something wrong, Lady Georgina? Do you not like the tea?”
Just as the girl reached for the bell on the table to summon someone, Georgina quickly shook her head and replied.
“No, not at all. I’m just so overwhelmed with emotion to see our little princess again.”
She really did feel a lump in her throat, even letting out a small sniffle before forcing a smile. But such feelings must have been contagious—Angela’s large eyes soon welled up with tears as well.
“Me too, Georgina. I thought I’d never see you again.”
Seeing her sniffle and rub her eyes with the back of her hand, Georgina couldn’t hold back any longer and pulled her into a tight embrace. The two clung to each other, sobbing and sharing the joy of their reunion. It wasn’t until some time later that they were finally able to calm down.
“So, Winston found you?”
“Yeah.”
After hearing the general gist of what happened, Georgina asked, and Angela nodded.
“He showed up all of a sudden—it really surprised me. But when I saw Winnie, I was so happy I just ran to him.”
At Angela’s confession, Georgina’s eyes widened in shock. Oblivious to Georgina’s reaction, Angela went on.
“I told him how much I missed him, and Winnie said he missed me too. Then he hugged me real tight.”
Recalling the memory, Angela let out a soft sigh and relaxed her shoulders.
Seeing that, Georgina felt a wave of guilt and unease she had momentarily forgotten crash over her once again.
“Hey, Angie… do you happen to know anything about your father?”
After a moment of hesitation, Georgina broached the subject carefully. When Angela blinked wide-eyed at her, Georgina hurried to add with an awkward smile,
“Um, I mean, about Papa. I was wondering if your daddy ever told you anything.”
“No.”
Angela shook her head and replied plainly.
“Daddy never talked about him. So I don’t know anything.”
“I see… Do you ever wonder about him?” Georgina watched her closely as she asked. Angela’s lips pouted for a moment before she began fiddling with her juice glass for no reason.
“I do wonder… but I’m afraid if I ask, Daddy might get sad.”
The subdued tone in her voice was enough to shake Georgina to her core. She rushed to find something to say, but before she could, Angela seemed to collect herself and looked up with renewed spirit.
“It’s okay. I have Winnie now.”
“What?”
Georgina blurted it out in surprise before she could stop herself. Angela replied with a voice brimming with conviction.
“Winnie’s my Papa now. He said so. He told me not to worry, that he’d always be by my side.”
The child beamed, her expression full of confidence and joy.
“So it’s really okay.”
Georgina was taken aback by the girl’s change in demeanor, but soon, her lips curved into a soft smile in relief.
“I see.”
That’s good, she thought silently, but at the same time, she found herself curious about how Angela had come to trust Winston so deeply. Taking the opportunity, she asked,
“How did you two get so close? Winston’s not exactly the easiest person to warm up to.”
If they hadn’t been related, Georgina likely never would’ve had a conversation with him at all. Of course, the same went for him—he barely regarded her as a person. The memory of his dry, dispassionate gaze, as if looking at an object, made her involuntarily shrink her shoulders. Noticing this, Angela tilted her head.
“Um, well… at first, I really didn’t like him. But then, there was this one time I snuck out of the house and got lost.”
The girl gave a visible shiver as if reliving the memory.
“It was pouring rain and freezing cold. I was terrified… and then, he came to find me.”
Angela paused, quickly glanced at the closed door, then leaned in and whispered,
“This is a secret, but… that’s when I started to open up to Winnie a little. But since Daddy seemed to hate him, I pretended to dislike him on purpose.”
Even so, Winston made several efforts to win over the girl’s heart. Every time they seemed to grow closer, the distance would return, only for them to inch closer again—a cycle that repeated until finally, Winston succeeded in completely opening Angela’s heart.
“I see.”
After listening to everything that had happened, Georgina was both impressed and bewildered. The great Winston Campbell—of all people—had made such relentless efforts just to win over the heart of this tiny girl. It was astonishing.
Even when everyone still believed Angela was Harold’s child.
That thought suddenly sparked a question. How much does Winston actually know right now?
“Georgina, Georgina.”
Lost in thought, she was jolted back to reality by the sound of her name. Angela was staring at her curiously. Embarrassed for spacing out, Georgina quickly tried to change the subject.
“How’s Yu-jin doing? Is he resting now?”
She hadn’t seen him at all during her visit to the estate. Not that she minded—part of her still felt uneasy about facing him, so she was inwardly relieved. Angela nodded.
“Yeah, Daddy’s been sleeping a lot lately. He said he was tired and went to lie down earlier. Should I go check if he’s up?”
“No, no, it’s fine!”
Startled, Georgina stopped Angela just as she was about to hop off her chair.
“He must be exhausted from taking care of the baby. Let him rest.”
He’s pregnant, after all—he’s probably not feeling well. Not to mention the whole pointless escape ordeal. The more she thought about it, the more grateful she felt for the excuse not to see his face.
Seizing the moment, Georgina quickly added, “How is Yu-jin, though? He’s healthy, right? He should be extra careful now that he’s expecting.”
“Huh? Uh…”
Angela fumbled awkwardly, her response vague enough to raise immediate suspicion. Georgina furrowed her brow.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Is he unwell…? Just as Georgina’s imagination began to spiral into worst-case scenarios, Angela quickly shook her head.
“No, it’s not that—really.”
Still fidgeting and casting shifty glances around the room, Angela finally seemed to reach a decision. She leaned over the table, lowering her voice.
“Georgina, this is a secret…”
With one hand shielding her mouth, she whispered as though revealing something extremely private and important.
“I’m only telling you because you’re my friend. You can’t tell anyone else, okay?”
“Okay, what is it?”
Georgina leaned in with a matching whisper. As she brought her ear closer, Angela finally whispered the secret into it.
“Daddy says… he’s not actually pregnant.”
“…What?”
Georgina blurted it out in shock, her voice louder than intended. She immediately slapped a hand over her mouth. Angela’s eyes widened, and she mirrored the gesture, clamping both hands over her mouth and glancing nervously around.
Only after the initial shock wore off did Georgina slowly lower her hand and ask in a quiet voice,
“Are you serious? Yu-jin’s… not really pregnant?”
“Yeah.”
Angela nodded solemnly, still whispering in a hushed tone.
“There’s no baby. Daddy told me. He said he was sorry for disappointing me.”
Georgina blinked blankly, stunned.
No baby? He’s not pregnant? Had it always been that way? Or did something go wrong and he lost the baby?
What does it matter? The point is—Yu-jin isn’t carrying a child.
Which meant… the will.
Her mind went completely blank. Then, faint noise drifted in through the window. As the sound grew clearer, Angela stretched her neck toward the glass and suddenly shouted,
“It’s Winnie!”
“What?”
Startled, Georgina froze just as Angela sprang down from her chair before she could stop her and dashed out the door. Caught off guard for a moment, Georgina scrambled to her feet and hurriedly ran after the girl.
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